AAAAA boys, one more time.

Well, as the final day of the district season comes to an end, it's high time to give everyone my projections for tomorrow's seedings.

Class AAAAA
1. Las Cruces Mayfield (22-4). The reason? Mayfield's only losses to state teams were to a then-undefeated Hobbs and AAAA Espanola Valley. Otherwise, the Trojans were 14-1 against AAAAA schools with a win over Highland. A 15-game winning streak cinches it in my mind.
2. Eldorado (23-4). The Eagles' sterling mark took a hit with the loss to Rio Grande last week. Which means it needs a little help to get back to where it was. A 15-2 mark against AAAAA competition still looks good, just not as good as it did a week ago. Beat the Monarchs is priority No. 1.
3. La Cueva (23-5). This is where the advantages of the NMAA's tie-breaker system help. The Bears tied for first in 2AAAAA with Valley, but Valley won the one-game playoff. So Valley's ahead of La Cueva, right? Not so fast, my friends! Because of a provision that allows the seeding committees to seed teams as they see fit when a regular-season tie is involved, the Bears jump ahead of Valley (in my mind). La Cueva has a win over Manzano and another over Valley in the regular season. A second win over the Vikings tonight solidifies No. 3 for the defending AAAAA champions. If not, they drop a spot or maybe two.
4. Manzano (21-7). The Monarchs lost two in a row to Eldorado, which knocks them down a spot. Still, a 16-4 mark vs. AAAAA competition with wins over La Cueva, Eldorado, Highland and Valley make for a strong resume for a top-four seed.
5. Valley (18-9). The Vikings were only 5-6 against non 2AAAAA schools in the class, but one was a win over 1AAAAA champion Gallup. That's enough to get the Vikings ahead of the Bengals.
6. Gallup (17-10). An 8-6 mark against AAAAA teams leaves a lot to be desired from the 1AAAAA champion. There's still a chance for the Bengals to fall a notch if Rio Rancho surprises them tonight.
7. Clovis (13-10). The Wildcats are 7-2 against AAAAA schools, but their biggest win is against a Rams team that is making a run just to get into the tournament. Still, they are the 4AAAAA champions, and that counts for something.
8. Hobbs (20-7). Oh what one loss can do. If the Carlsbad Cavemen don't upset the Eagles, chances are Hobbs is a Top-5 seed. Instead, that loss blemishes a 5-0 mark against AAAAA schools with a win over No. 1 Mayfield, which is its only AAAAA loss.
9. Highland (20-8). The Hornets bounced back from a three-game losing streak nicely with .... a three-game winning streak. A 15-5 AAAAA mark is very good, but Hobbs was just a tad better.
10. Gadsden (17-10). The Panthers never could get on track in 3AAAAA, alternating wins and losses. This is about as good as it gets.
11. Rio Grande (15-13). The win over Eldorado was great, but the Ravens closed with a 4-6 mark overall, including 3-5 in 5AAAAA. The win over Valley helps them get this spot over ...
12. Cibola (13-15). Oh, if only it was the Cougars playing Gallup in the 1AAAAA title game instead of Rio Rancho. If they want to look at the plus side, Cibols did help a district team solidify its spot in the tournament. Otherwise, thanks, missed opportunity.
13. Rio Rancho (14-14). The Rams spell salvation "4-2." That's their record over over the last 16 days to move themselves off the bubble of the state tournament. Now about that bubble ...
14. Carlsbad (12-14). Committee: "Thanks for giving us this interview, Cavemen, but let's stop with the pleasantries and tell us why you deserve to play in our tournament next week?"
Carlsbad: "We beat Hobbs."
Committee: "Uh-huh, we see that. But what else?"
Carlsbad: "We also beat Las Cruces."
Committee: "OK, good enough. Now please enjoy your butt-kicking at La Cueva."
Carlsbad: "Can't be any worse than what they did last week (80-56 on Feb. 20)."
15. Albuquerque High (12-16). Committee: "OK, Bulldogs. It says here you went 6-11 against AAAAA schools. Why should we choose you over, say, 10-17 Las Cruces?"
AHS: "We beat Gallup. We dominated Santa Fe High four times."
Committee: "Beat Gallup, eh? Hmmmm ..."
AHS: "That's a lovely tie. And did you know we REALLY respect officials (See Ron Garcia's comments after beating Santa Fe High on Feb. 5)?"
Committee: "Flattery gets you everywhere this time of year. Welcome to the tournament!"
16. Santa Fe High (13-15). Committee: "Ok, Las Cruces, Oñate and Santa Fe, it's down to you three for the last spot. Tell me what you did to deserve to get in."
Las Cruces: "Well, we beat Los Lunas, Cleveland, Alamgordo and Oñate."
Oñate: "We beat Las Cruces, too. And Cleveland. And Rio Rancho."
Santa Fe: "We beat Gallup. Plus we played Eldorado, Manzano, La Cueva and Valley." (Demons' mind: Don't say anything about how badly they beat you!)
Committee: "Interesting, Demons. How do you feel about officials?"
Santa Fe: (Gulps) "Integrity is their middle name." (Damn, did Albuquerque High talk to these guys?)
Committee: "Well, that's not what we heard, but you're in anyways. We will keep our eyes on you ..."